Rumored Microsoft tablet may involve Barnes & Noble, Xbox Live

Microsoft's "major announcement" is less than 24 hours away, and Ars is going to have live coverage of the event. But it's fun to speculate beforehand, and the latest consensus from the always reliable Internet rumor mill points to a collaborative tablet/e-reader with Barnes & Noble.

Today, TechCrunch reported there was a shred of truth in all the tablet rumors from the weekend. The site spoke with "sources" who claim Microsoft plans to announce an entertainment-driven tablet/e-reader, which may include Xbox Live streaming capabilities.

We don't know just what Microsoft will reveal tomorrow—it may not even be a tablet. But out of the rumors so far, the Barnes & Noble one makes a bit of sense. After all, Microsoft typically doesn't build its own hardware, instead relying on OEMs. And Barnes & Noble already has a strategic relationship with Microsoft, with Redmond investing $300 million in the Nook business. In that agreement, Microsoft took a 17.6 percent stake in a newly formed subsidiary that handles B&N's digital and college bookstore businesses. That partnership would also result in a Nook application for Windows 8. A Nook-ified Windows 8 tablet isn't so far from the realm of possibility (even though the current Nook Tablet is Android-based).

Invites to tomorrow's LA-based Microsoft announcement surfaced late Thursday. Speculation began immediately that the event would result in a tablet. All Things D reported the company would unveil a Microsoft designed hardware/software combo that would directly compete with the Apple iPad. Microsoft's recent partnership with Nokia led to some speculation at Wired that perhaps the announcement was another collaborative Windows 8 device (potentially with some unique features to help distinguish the Nokia partnership from other tablets).

Whatever is announced, Microsoft's strategy for Windows 8 on tablets will be hugely important for the company as Windows 8 is just months away from being released. Tomorrow evening's event will end all the discussion, taking place at 6:30 pm EST. Follow along as Ars' Microsoft editor Peter Bright will be on hand to confirm or deny all this speculation.

Going by the latest rumors to come out of the Shed of Truth, Microsoft has a media and tablet strategy that gets ever more complicated.

A Windows 8 tablet, a Nooklet, Xbox Live on all tablets...

I shall retreat from this confusion and take solace in the fact that if the next Xbox has PVR functions, it shall probably have an integral hard drive that is not some ridiculously overpriced add-on peripheral. Hopefully a 1TB/ssd hybrid.

Whatever the announcement is, I would bet money that it won't be available outside of USA and it won't be available for purchase for several months. Take a page out of Apple's book, shut your damn mouth until your stuff is ready then when you release it do it in good faith - let everyone buy it, don't pull your usual USA-only bullshit.

Microsoft, I think a lot of your new stuff is awesome. Stop being a dick about it all the time and just sell it to us.

Whatever the announcement is, I would bet money that it won't be available outside of USA and it won't be available for purchase for several months. Take a page out of Apple's book...

Unfortunately, anything that comes with ties to media purchasing is gonna be stuck with restrictions that mean they can only sell it in the markets they have distribution agreements in place. It sucks, and the sooner it dies the better. This applies to Apple as much as anybody else, though I'm gonna assume you were referring to release timing not markets there.

Whatever the announcement is, I would bet money that it won't be available outside of USA and it won't be available for purchase for several months. Take a page out of Apple's book, shut your damn mouth until your stuff is ready then when you release it do it in good faith - let everyone buy it, don't pull your usual USA-only bullshit.

Microsoft, I think a lot of your new stuff is awesome. Stop being a dick about it all the time and just sell it to us.

A lot of these "rumors" really expose just how much the tech press has utterly ignored Microsoft's progress with Windows 8.

You don't say...a Windows-based tablet will have Xbox Live? You mean just like every single Windows 8 and Windows RT tablet on earth will have? How is that surprising? How is that not an absolute undeniable given after literally everything Microsoft has said about Windows 8 so far?

A lot of these "rumors" really expose just how much the tech press has utterly ignored Microsoft's progress with Windows 8.

You don't say...a Windows-based tablet will have Xbox Live? You mean just like every single Windows 8 and Windows RT tablet on earth will have? How is that surprising? How is that not an absolute undeniable given after literally everything Microsoft has said about Windows 8 so far?

I guess that they concentrated on the fact that MS is trying to mess up work on PCs. Thing that is slightly more important in the society than what exact tablet you will waste your time with.

A lot of these "rumors" really expose just how much the tech press has utterly ignored Microsoft's progress with Windows 8.

You don't say...a Windows-based tablet will have Xbox Live? You mean just like every single Windows 8 and Windows RT tablet on earth will have? How is that surprising? How is that not an absolute undeniable given after literally everything Microsoft has said about Windows 8 so far?

It isn't what the tablet will do, it is *who* is making the tablet, supposedly Microsoft.

one of my biggest complaints over the years for Microsoft is their lack of ability to integrate their various killer apps for the consumer desktop (They have always set the example in the business side.

If they can integrate Windows, a book store, xbox, office and cloud storage into a tablet it will be a fun ride for the next couple years.

BTW, this could really hurt Google as MS is the only company that can compete on Maps (a little on search) but can leverage Exchange and Xbox, while providing Windows to tablet makers in a less fragmented format.

Rooting for Redmond here so we can see some real competition for Apple.

Whatever the announcement is, I would bet money that it won't be available outside of USA and it won't be available for purchase for several months. Take a page out of Apple's book...

Unfortunately, anything that comes with ties to media purchasing is gonna be stuck with restrictions that mean they can only sell it in the markets they have distribution agreements in place. It sucks, and the sooner it dies the better. This applies to Apple as much as anybody else, though I'm gonna assume you were referring to release timing not markets there.

It's not just the media stuff though. With MS it seems almost arbitrary to the point where they almost intentionally favour American users over anyone else. When WP7 first came out Bing maps kicked ass on the device if you lived in America, while those in other countries didn't even have a search button in the app, making it completely worthless. It was months before the maps app became usable.

Zune was never sold in most countries, even though I personally would have bought one even without their Zunepass service. I just wanted a top-quality non-Apple MP3 player.

To this very fucking day there's no Podcasts section in the Zune marketplace for people outside of USA. Are you telling me there's some license agreement BS they need to go through? Just run it like every other podcast portal. They won't even let me search for podcasts. (Not to mention when I open Zune and click Marketplace the only tab is Videos, but we're ignoring the media thing for now).

For at least 8 or 9 months after the WP7 release the ONLY device you could buy in NZ stores was the Trophy 7, one of the lowet-speced WP7 devices.

On XBox Live users outside of USA cannot use the Indie Games Marketplace. Do you think indie game developers are restricting their licenses to keep the games out of the hands of international users? I work with a guy who developed a game for XBLIM - none of his friends can buy it because we're the unwashed international masses.

Bing is missing almost every feature that makes it an interesting search engine outside of USA. Take a look at this website. Every single thing listed on that page is totally unavailable internationally. The only exception is Bing Maps, which is severely stunted internationally - we don't get half the features American users do.

This kind of picture makes some kind of sense. It is sort of Zune2. But there is a chance that Microsoft could bring together the right collection of functionality to find a significant place in the market. Certainly XBox would be something they would want to include.

The iPad is the wrong size. Microsoft could do well to make one with a 8.5" widescreen and one double the size of that as a laptop replacement with a 17" widescreen:

17" = 8" x 15"

8.5" = 4" x 7.5"

Their UX would benefit from some form of hardware "return to Start screen" Home button in place of a hard to discover hot-corner / hot-edge uncharming "Charms bar" arrangement, perhaps with the Windows flag on it. The device should be able to be driven by wireless keyboard and mouse with the "Windows" key taking the user back to the Win 8 tile screen.

A bluetooth headset could be used to support dictation, thereby freeing the pocketable device from having to squander screen real-estate on a virtual keyboard. Besides, not everyone is as fast as this guy:

The iPad is the wrong size. Microsoft could do well to make one with a 8.5" widescreen and one double the size of that as a laptop replacement with a 17" widescreen:

17" = 8" x 15"

8.5" = 4" x 7.5"

Their UX would benefit from some form of hardware "return to Start screen" Home button in place of a hard to discover hot-corner / hot-edge uncharming "Charms bar" arrangement, perhaps with the Windows flag on it. The device should be able to be driven by wireless keyboard and mouse with the "Windows" key taking the user back to the Win 8 tile screen.

So the most popular tablet in the world, by far, has the wrong screen size? Why would that be? Meanwhile, all tablets with the "right" ratio screen, at least, aren't selling. Even the Fire has fizzled.

I still have no idea what's going on with this one week notice to a surprise announcement. If the rumor mill to be trusted, this seems like a meh and it does not require a major announcement. In any case, I may have to think about my current strategy of buying everything for my kindle if this deal looks sweet to me. Does anyone believe that some xbl games can be streamed to the tablet or handheld devices?

Actually, I was reminded more of the Kin phone - assuming the 'Microsoft tablet' rumors are true. New 'killer' me-too device, released by Microsoft itself rather than the typical Microsoft 'multiple partners' model, only a few months before a big platform initiative in the same product category...

The iPad is the wrong size. Microsoft could do well to make one with a 8.5" widescreen and one double the size of that as a laptop replacement with a 17" widescreen:

17" = 8" x 15"

8.5" = 4" x 7.5"

Their UX would benefit from some form of hardware "return to Start screen" Home button in place of a hard to discover hot-corner / hot-edge uncharming "Charms bar" arrangement, perhaps with the Windows flag on it. The device should be able to be driven by wireless keyboard and mouse with the "Windows" key taking the user back to the Win 8 tile screen.

So the most popular tablet in the world, by far, has the wrong screen size? Why would that be? Meanwhile, all tablets with the "right" ratio screen, at least, aren't selling. Even the Fire has fizzled.

What makes you think that anyone would want such a big tablet?

Techology adoption is driven by media consumption (music and movies) and gaming. All of which benefit from a wide screen that can support a Golden Ratio aspect with borders. The smaller format may seem too big for a smartphone, until you entertain the use case wherein a bluetooth headset is employed for chatting and dictation, freeing the actual device to sit securely in a jacket / coat / briefcase pocket out of reach of opportunistic thieves. Alternatively, front and rear facing cameras would support video chat and the near 2:1 ratio would support mobile video conferencing between yourself and two other people. The 8.5" device could only be used as a phone via the included headset, thereby preventing its users from looking silly as they tried to hold it next to their ear. Besides, information could stream onto the display during the call, like iChat Theatre, allowing you to discuss a recent document, spreadsheet, presentation, or video recording. I prefer having a dynamic map / guide in the palm of my hand than some super-intrusive Google "Goggles" that will probably get me run over by a taxi obscured by an inopportune Alert box.

The iPad is too squat to be any good for showing movies. It lacks enough room at either screen edge for a game's virtual controls to not mean that your thumbs are in the way of seeing the action. Its speakers lack bass, forcing the reliance on wired earbud headphones that easily become knotted.

A 17" tablet would have the internal space for a longer life battery, extending its utility - maybe have a pen.

The iPad is pitched at a hungry consumer market, so there is still space for a business-oriented product. It has been successful due to quality of manufacture, trust in its brand, accessibility of its UI and the ease in which Apps can be downloaded to it - safe in the knowledge that they have passed through safety checks.

Android, Blackberry and Windows Phone all have viruses. There is an upside to Apple's "Walled Garden".

Please don't get the impression that I hate the iPad. Indeed, I own an iPod Touch, iMac, Mac Mini, Intel Quad-Core iMac and 23" Apple Cinema display having given up on Windows after a bad experience with a faulty Sony VAIO they refused to fix under warranty. I have never had any problems with an Apple product and the only thing stopping me from getting an iPad is that I have absolutely no use for one of them given that I work from home. Long may they continue making their fine products.

Going by the latest rumors to come out of the Shed of Truth, Microsoft has a media and tablet strategy that gets ever more complicated.

A Windows 8 tablet, a Nooklet, Xbox Live on all tablets...

I shall retreat from this confusion and take solace in the fact that if the next Xbox has PVR functions, it shall probably have an integral hard drive that is not some ridiculously overpriced add-on peripheral. Hopefully a 1TB/ssd hybrid.

For media playing/PVR I don't quite see why you'd need SSD...stock hard drives are more than fast enough for that.

The iPad is the wrong size. Microsoft could do well to make one with a 8.5" widescreen and one double the size of that as a laptop replacement with a 17" widescreen:

17" = 8" x 15"

8.5" = 4" x 7.5"

Their UX would benefit from some form of hardware "return to Start screen" Home button in place of a hard to discover hot-corner / hot-edge uncharming "Charms bar" arrangement, perhaps with the Windows flag on it. The device should be able to be driven by wireless keyboard and mouse with the "Windows" key taking the user back to the Win 8 tile screen.

So the most popular tablet in the world, by far, has the wrong screen size? Why would that be? Meanwhile, all tablets with the "right" ratio screen, at least, aren't selling. Even the Fire has fizzled.

What makes you think that anyone would want such a big tablet?

Techology adoption is driven by media consumption (music and movies) and gaming. All of which benefit from a wide screen that can support a Golden Ratio aspect with borders. The smaller format may seem too big for a smartphone, until you entertain the use case wherein a bluetooth headset is employed for chatting and dictation, freeing the actual device to sit securely in a jacket / coat / briefcase pocket out of reach of opportunistic thieves. Alternatively, front and rear facing cameras would support video chat and the near 2:1 ratio would support mobile video conferencing between yourself and two other people. The 8.5" device could only be used as a phone via the included headset, thereby preventing its users from looking silly as they tried to hold it next to their ear. Besides, information could stream onto the display during the call, like iChat Theatre, allowing you to discuss a recent document, spreadsheet, presentation, or video recording. I prefer having a dynamic map / guide in the palm of my hand than some super-intrusive Google "Goggles" that will probably get me run over by a taxi obscured by an inopportune Alert box.

The iPad is too squat to be any good for showing movies. It lacks enough room at either screen edge for a game's virtual controls to not mean that your thumbs are in the way of seeing the action. Its speakers lack bass, forcing the reliance on wired earbud headphones that easily become knotted.

A 17" tablet would have the internal space for a longer life battery, extending its utility - maybe have a pen.

The iPad is pitched at a hungry consumer market, so there is still space for a business-oriented product. It has been successful due to quality of manufacture, trust in its brand, accessibility of its UI and the ease in which Apps can be downloaded to it - safe in the knowledge that they have passed through safety checks.

Android, Blackberry and Windows Phone all have viruses. There is an upside to Apple's "Walled Garden".

Please don't get the impression that I hate the iPad. Indeed, I own an iPod Touch, iMac, Mac Mini, Intel Quad-Core iMac and 23" Apple Cinema display having given up on Windows after a bad experience with a faulty Sony VAIO they refused to fix under warranty. I have never had any problems with an Apple product and the only thing stopping me from getting an iPad is that I have absolutely no use for one of them given that I work from home. Long may they continue making their fine products.

It should be pretty obvious that Apple has do r fairly well with a 4:3 tablet, as tablet use is NOT driven by media use, but by apps, browsing, etc. the truth is that 16:9 tablets are very clumsy. The only thing that shape is good for IS media use.